Obama Dismisses Benghazi Claims

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama sought to quell a partisan uproar over his administration's response to last year's terrorist assault in Benghazi, Libya, charging that Republican lawmakers are creating a "political circus" partly to raise campaign cash.

Mr. Obama brusquely dismissed Republican criticism that the White House misled the public about the attacks, which killed four Americans, by minimizing the link to terrorism.

"There's no 'there' there," Mr. Obama said during a news conference Monday with visiting British Prime Minister David Cameron. "The fact that this keeps on getting churned out, frankly, has a lot to do with political motivations."

President Barack Obama held a joint news conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron, discussing the upcoming G-8 summit and how the nations will approach global-security issues. Photo: AP.

The president's remarks on Libya came as he tried to shift the public's focus back to his agenda and as he grappled with a second emerging controversy, over Internal Revenue Service scrutiny of conservative groups. With growing attention on both issues, Mr. Obama is at risk of seeing his agenda derailed by Congress's investigative machinery.

He took a different tone on the IRS during the news conference, joining members of his own party who have condemned any hint of partisan motivation in the enforcement of tax laws.

Congressional Republicans are seeking to make more headway on the investigation into the Sept. 11, 2012, assault on U.S. posts in Benghazi, which claimed the life of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

They charge the administration withheld the truth about the assault because it showed terrorism remained a threat, counter to a key message in Mr. Obama's re-election campaign last year.

The investigation gained new momentum last week when longtime diplomat Gregory Hicks, the second-ranking official in the U.S. embassy in Tripoli during the attack, gave a detailed narrative to a congressional committee.

More From the Press Conference

Rep. Darrell Issa, the California Republican who has been leading the GOP charge over Benghazi, wrote Monday to a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Adm. Mike Mullen, and former U.S. Ambassador Thomas Pickering, asking them to meet with congressional investigators for private interviews. Adm. Mullen and Mr. Pickering, who oversaw an independent review of the attacks last year, both indicated they were willing to answer questions.

In a joint statement, Sens. John McCain (R., Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) and Kelly Ayotte (R., N.H.) said: "In light of recent revelations and whistleblower testimony last week…it is very clear that we need a joint select committee to resolve these contradictions and answer the many other unanswered questions about this tragedy."

Ken Duberstein, White House chief of staff during Mr. Reagan's second term, said the controversy over Benghazi is a distraction for Mr. Obama.

"It certainly diverts attention from whatever the White House is trying to do on a jobs agenda, or the economy or immigration reform because your time is occupied dealing with all these situations. The distraction can be severe," he said.

Four months into his new term, Mr. Obama has plenty of unfinished business. Last week, GOP senators delayed confirmation votes on two of his nominees for cabinet posts: Gina McCarthy for the Environmental Protection Agency and Thomas Perez for labor secretary.

After an all-out effort to tighten gun-control laws, the president couldn't muster enough votes for Senate passage last month. And he still is pressing for a "grand bargain" budget agreement with the GOP over taxes and spending.

An immigration overhaul looks more promising, if only because Republicans recognize they risk disappointing millions of Hispanic voters by blocking a bill.

In his news conference he sought to portray GOP criticism over Benghazi as a partisan exercise that is irrelevant to larger priorities. Some opponents, he said, have used the Benghazi episode for fundraising.

One focus of the investigation into Benghazi has been the "talking points" used as the basis of public statements in the days after the attacks.

Mr. Obama said no one sought to deliberately misinform the public in initially describing the attack as an outgrowth of a protest.

Rather, the information coming in was confused, he said. He said the initial description of the attacks by Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, "pretty much matched the assessments that I was receiving at that time in my presidential daily briefing."

"The whole issue of talking points, frankly, throughout this process has been a sideshow," Mr. Obama said.

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